Where did you start playing ball?Nag-aral ako sa St. Anthony’s School sa Malate, sa may Singalong—from elementary to high school, so I also played for our varsity team in St. Anthony’s. I played three different sports nung high school ako—track and field, volleyball, and basketball.

Who encouraged you to try your hand at collegiate basketball?After high school I was actually hesitant to try. Kaya nga yung brother ko galit na galit sa akin kasi ayoko because I thought I was too small to play college basketball. Pero pinipilit niya talaga ako so I gave in. But I eventually did try out for Adamson. Only then did I realize na hindi ka naman kailangan maging matangkad talaga to play—I was only 5’8” then. Narealize ko na may chance ka kahit maliit ka; you just have to work hard para mag-excel ka sa basketball.

What was the scenario just before Adamson bagged its first UAAP title?In the 1977 championship, we played against UP. At that time, the teamwork was perfect. We weren’t a tall team so our focus was on defense and transition offense. Hindi ko na maalala yung larong yun pero naaalala ko na yung maganda nun was yung buong school nanood sa amin.

What skill were you able to hone during your college years?Yung shooting ko from the perimeter. I was always yung nagpepenetrate, calling the shots—kasi nga ako ang point guard, so I was directing the plays, so at that time my outside shooting wasn’t that good.

When did your big break come?First off, it was my college coach, Moises Urbiztondo who really gave me the break. [And that break came] nung first week ko pa lang playing for Adamson. And nung nag-champion kami, I think maganda yung naging contribution ko to that team. At nagkaroon ako ng opportunity to mature.